A Job Offer
by cindyyvxd
Summary: ON BRIEF HIATUS. (Reason on profile page) Present problems force Natsuki Kruger right back to the past's doorstep. Literally. Shizuru Viola opens her doors, but has a bone to pick with Natsuki over deep previous wounds. Will the two women be able to reconcile?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello! I know that my last chapter of "Impulse and Fey" stated that I would not be writing fanfiction anymore, but I found that I actually need to in order actually keep writing consistently. Thank you to "Hookedonreading" who is always very supportive. I hope you all enjoy this next story.

**A Job Offer**

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Chapter 1

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Scraping for the last 2 inches of her mayo jar was what did it. Her pride could no longer mask the sting of hunger and defeat. Slumping down to the kitchen floor, Natsuki Kruger fought back tears. No one, not even herself, was allowed to see her cry. Crying meant that there was no hope. Crying meant that Natsuki would have to admit that she could not stand on her own two feet any longer. Crying meant that she knew she wasn't okay. She would not cry.

Fishing out the crumpled white square of a business card from her leather jacket pocket she re-read over the name and number written on it. Natsuki stared at it until her stomach whined in protest. The stubborn 27 year- old figured that she couldn't put it off any longer. Sighing, lithe fingers switched the card for her phone and dialed a number that hadn't changed for 10 years.

…

Yukino Chrysant's birthday was an event Natsuki hadn't looked forward to all week. However, with all the nagging phone calls and text messages, something told Natsuki that declining the invitation was not an option. Natsuki tried not to let her foul mood ruin her friend's dinner party since it was obvious that so much thought and preparation went into it, but it was really hard. Haruka Armitage, Arika Yumemiya, Mai Tokiha, and Mikoto Minagi all came to wish Yukino a very happy birthday, but this gathering was also for their good friend Natsuki. They all knew Natsuki was struggling, although she hid it quite well for a few months. They were all worried for the headstrong woman, but never spoke about it because they were well-aware of Natsuki's delicate ego. It was the elephant in the room every time the group met up. Except this time, Haruka voiced said elephant.

"Hey Natsuki, you're looking a little…. thin."

"Haruka!"

"Ouch! What? She does! You can't expect me to ignore that."

Natsuki's forced smile dissolved and immediately looked at the heaping bowl of mayo ramen she had just been served by Mikoto. She watched on as the glorious mayo swirled in happy unison with perfectly cooked ramen noodles. Natsuki had half a mind to let her friends worry about her. Allowing her walls to come down long enough for them to pamper her a little bit, but then Natsuki remembered the occasion. This was her friend's birthday dinner. Not a charity event. Although she hadn't eaten in almost two weeks, pride beat hunger. "Sorry Yukino, but I'm going to head on home. Happy birthday."

The blunette rose to leave despite the protests she heard from the rest of the group. It was already embarrassing not bringing a gift to sit on the small round table where everyone else's gifts sat. Upon arriving, Natsuki still gave a half-assed excuse as to why she didn't have one to bring even though Yukino was already leading her by the hand to the living room where the others welcomed her warmly. Kruger wasn't naïve to think that her friends hadn't caught on weeks ago, but having them voice it was beyond humiliating.

As the others chastised the bull-headed blonde for opening her big mouth, no matter how well intentioned, Yukino rushed to Natsuki before she could storm out the door. "Natsuki, we're all very worried abou-"

"I'm fine. I can handle myself."

"Yes. We know that Natsuki but-"

"But what, Yukino? Did you think your pity would do something magical other than anger me?"

The pain in Yukino's eyes caused Natsuki to take a mental step back. "I'm sorry Yukino. This isn't your fault. I'm just…not used to this."

Yukino merely gave a knowing smile then placed a thin piece of white card stock into Natsuki's palm. When Natsuki read the information on the card, her heart flipped then sank. Natsuki knew in the back of her mind that at some point this name would come back into her life. Still, she never wanted it to be like this.

"She still asks about you, you know."

Natsuki's eyes never left the name elegantly scrawled on the business card:

_Shizuru Viola._

…

_Buzz._

_ Buzz._

_ Buzz._

"Hello?"

Natsuki couldn't form words at the sound of her old flame's voice over the phone. So, she hung up. Her hands were shaking and a light sheen of sweat began to cover her entire body. Covering her face in her hands, Natsuki took several deep breaths and took great care to squash any thoughts of retreating. She wasn't afraid, she told herself while dialing a second time, she was only surprised that the age-old phone number still worked.

"Hello Natsuki. It's been too long."

"Hey. I'd like to talk to you."

"So I gather. I've moved since….ah. I'll just text you the address."

_Click._

As Natsuki patiently waited for the text message, she paced around the available space of her apartment. How did she get here in the first place? She had a job. A roof over her head. Food in the fridge. Her roommate ditched her a few months back, but she had saved some money to cover the loss until a new roommate showed up. Except no one ever came to answer her ads. It was okay. Her hours got cut from work; sure, she couldn't afford to eat every day, but it was still okay. Rent started to run behind, but the landlord understood, it was okay.

Then her mother died.

Natsuki hugged herself until the pang in her chest gave her enough room to continue breathing. Things hadn't been okay after that.

…

Shizuru placed her phone gingerly on the table beside her bed. It had been a long time since she wished for this call. Waiting a long time to see this woman that broke her heart near beyond repair. Only now that this call came, what would she do now? There were too many avenues of possibility that made Shizuru regret ever answering the phone, let alone leave an address. For a solid second anyway. Rising to brew an emergency pot of tea, Shizuru rolled each possible scenario methodically in her head.

She had a right to be angry. Shizuru would have been right to return the favor now that Natsuki called, but she knew she wouldn't do that. Not while she knew about Natsuki's current situation. Shizuru couldn't find it in herself to be cruel to someone who had to swallow their bitter pride to ask for help. However, Shizuru knew that with the way things ended, it wouldn't be a happy reunion either. Shizuru's kettle screamed to a boil effectively snapping her from her thoughts. Sipping on her matcha tea of choice, Shizuru concluded that she'd just have to wait until her long lost puppy arrived at her door.

A/N: Excuse the poor title, I couldn't think of something better. I hope you have great rest of your day/night. There are a couple liberties I'm taking with the character for the sake of the story, so I do apologize if Natsuki and Shizuru don't quite seem like their usual selves. I'm always happy to hear what you think in the comments or on my tumblr page :)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you to everyone who is following this story and giving me strength to post regularly.

**A Job Offer**

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Chapter 2

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Selling the last of her things to pay for the final installment of rent and to make sure she had enough gas money to make the trip, Natsuki was thankful that she paid the last of her mother's hospital bills months ago. It was one less concern as she left the city. Revving up her bike, Natsuki sent a message to all her friends that they wouldn't be seeing her for a while, but not to worry. Out of all the barrage of messages she had received through their group chat, one resounding message was clear. "Be safe. We're here whenever you need us."

Smiling, Natsuki began her journey. Although Natsuki parted with all of her possession's multiple times over the years, her Ducati was never one of them. The ride down to Kyoto was a breath of fresh air. How long had it been since she'd taken her baby out for a nice long trip? Natsuki loved every minute of the long and winding roads. Despite the troubles that sat patiently at the back of her mind, her spirits soared high above her head.

As long as it took to get to Shizuru's prefecture of choice, Natsuki wished it were a bit longer. Kicking the motorcycle stand, Natsuki repositioned her light backpack four times before looking at the quaint _machiya_ Shizuru now resided in. The streets were narrow and quiet, Natsuki barely had enough space to park her compact Ducati. The building looked like an old Japanese shop with it's dark beams of wood, walls that resembled brown paper paired with a flourishing petite side garden. Natsuki shrugged her backpack to rest on her shoulders comfortably once more, then raised her hand to knock.

Natsuki knew that Shizuru was aware of her arrival, the town didn't look like there was another motorcycle for miles. Natsuki didn't expect a welcoming party, but opening the door upon arrival would've been nice. Still, she did have to admit that she deserved it. Kind of.

Trembling hands knocked on the cold door and both hearts leapt into one another's throat's. _Ready or not..._

The door slid open tentatively. The Shizuru that Natsuki remembered revealed herself slowly, yet remained as breath taking as ever. Cool ruby red eyes framed by the bangs of her tan colored hair, silken hair that still ran long down the length of her dark violet kimono. Although Natsuki knew that this meeting would not be easy or happy for either of them, the smile that didn't reach Shizuru's eyes made something twist hard inside Natsuki's chest.

"Please come in. I've been expecting you."

…

Shizuru's home was smaller than Natsuki imagined, but cozy. The home reflected much of her personality, specked with antique items probably worth more than her precious motorcycle outside. Upon entering, a simple bamboo corner shelf boasted Shizuru's finest tea collection taking up the first and second sections. The bottom section was reserved for an ancient looking tea ceremony set. Both women walked through the home to settle themselves on the _zabuton_ where Shizuru had already laid out tea and two heaping bowls of ramen from the local shop around the corner.

They stared at each other in an uncomfortable silence unsure of how to properly approach the other person. Natsuki's impatience began to creep all throughout her body until her stomach loudly responded to the scent wafting through her nose. Shizuru's giggle at Natsuki's misfortune seemed to be the perfect ice breaker. "Let's eat first. I'm sure you've had a long ride over here." As they ate, Shizuru did her best to ignore the deep pangs in her heart. She resisted the fundamental need to reach over to Natsuki and hold her close for all the time they had been apart. To resist the urge to force Natsuki to sleep until the bruises from beneath her eyes disappeared. To resist the need to kiss plush pink lips until life and laughter came back into Natsuki's hollow eyes.

Checking herself mentally, Shizuru ignored all of her primal needs to care for Natsuki. The older woman had already given enough. If Natsuki wanted to be cared for, then she wouldn't have left all those years ago. Resolve reinstated, Shizuru drank her tea as Natsuki voraciously ate a second helping. The blunette was hungry, but ate mostly to steer away from conversation as long as possible. Natsuki wasn't sure if she was ready to ask for help in person. It was hard enough to make the phone call and ride down to Kyoto without talking herself out of it. The house phone rang and Shizuru excused herself to answer it giving Natsuki time to gather her thoughts together. Pride would have to wait she reminded herself. Natsuki swallowed her last bite of delicious food then fiddled with the napkin in her hands while Shizuru came to sit back down. The tired worried look in her ruby eyes caused Natsuki to briefly forget her own problems. "What's wrong, Shizuru?"

"Hm? Nothing too big. My personal assistant just quit because of family issues."

"Personal assistant?"

"Yes. As an author I require a personal assistant to deal with the details that isn't immediately important to me so I can focus on writing to meet my deadlines."

"I could do it."

The words left Natsuki's unattended mouth and she wanted to crawl underneath the _zabuton_ in embarrassment. Natsuki had trained herself to take opportunities as they presented themselves while trying to make ends meet back in the city. Natsuki did her best to keep the desperation out of her voice, but knew that Shizuru heard it easy enough. Shizuru took her time examining Natsuki over the rim of her tea cup before answering, "You could."

Shizuru's tone was so matter of fact that Natsuki felt like she had been slapped across the face. The younger woman had tried to deny any pain leaving might of caused, only now she couldn't deny it while it was staring back at her. There was no denying that Natsuki would have to work for Shizuru's trust back.

"Would you like to interview for it now or later?"

"Now is good."

"I see. Well then, Natsuki Kruger, what makes you think you are a good fit for the position?"

"I am quick to act and try to keep busy until almost every task is completed."

"Why not wait to relax until every task is completed?"  
"There will always be a task that's pending. If I don't use my time to rest wisely, I am more likely to burn out and then become useless to you." Natsuki took an enigmatic sip of her tea knowing that she had won this round.

Shizuru kind of liked this game of verbal fencing. Natsuki had done well, which wasn't surprising since the younger woman was born tenacious. Shizuru didn't think that there would be any harm in continuing the game a little longer even though she planned on giving Natsuki the position anyway. Still, Shizuru couldn't bring herself to continue the game. Despite the seemingly confident sip of tea, the older woman knew that her puppy was running on pure adrenaline.

Shizuru heard the tiny tears of the napkin from Natsuki's anxious hands. She saw the light sheen of unmistakable nervous sweat even in the dim lighting of her home. She saw as emerald eyes flashed with impatience, yet Shizuru knew that the impatience came from fear of rejection. Shizuru didn't quite understand the whole story of Natsuki's downward spiral. Natsuki was strong, brave and stubborn. Yet, she looked so broken. So unlike the puppy she knew ten years ago. Shizuru decided that until Natsuki was back to the person Shizuru remembered, all the playful teasing would have to wait.

Natsuki chewed on the inside of her left cheek. If Shizuru decided to dwell on past hurt, as she had more than enough reason too, Natsuki would have nowhere else to go. If Shizuru didn't take her in, Natsuki thought, then she would beg to stay. Her pride be damned. Shizuru took another sip of her tea before nodding her head.

"You're hired."

Natsuki slumped in relief, "Thank you."

The dizzying wave of reprieve caused Natsuki to lay her head on the table for a moment. Shizuru had to move the sleeping beauty to the futon she kept in her spare room where Natsuki slept peacefully for the next 20 hours.

A/N: Thank you again to "Hookedonreading" who has pointed me in the right direction on how I should fill some story gaps. I love all of your feedback! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. :D


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you to everyone who commented that the file didn't upload quite right.

Chapter 3

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Shizuru didn't give Natsuki all of the responsibilities being her personal assistant would normally do. Some of the tasks were too important to give to chance. Starting with the cliché requests of tea, food, and keeping Shizuru on schedule, Natsuki waited patiently to be trusted with more. Natsuki understood that this was Shizuru's livelihood and given her history as a potential flight risk would mean Shizuru would really have to test the waters.

The clock struck 4pm without Shizuru's notice since she was hard at work writing the next chapter for her novel. When the clock read 4:15pm, Natsuki quietly entered the dark office with the authors usual cup of tea and some lunch. Natsuki knew not to disturb Shizuru while writing, however, she also knew that the older woman could work all day without rest or nourishment. "I'll leave your tea and lunch here, Shizuru. I'll come back for the tray in 45 minutes."

To the untrained eye, Shizuru's movements would have seemed like she hadn't heard Natsuki at all. Typing away at the keys and not even a whisper of acknowledgement, Natsuki knew of the woman's quirks all too well. The subtle inclination of long tan hair leaning in Natsuki's direction gave the younger woman the signal that Shizuru had heard her perfectly clear. Leaving the room, Natsuki briefly reminisced on the days that it would anger the blunette when she didn't have a clear response to her words while the woman was writing back in high school.

Natsuki used to think that it was rude and cold to not acknowledge a person when they were speaking to them. Then one day Natsuki was watching close enough to notice this quirk, she laughed at herself a little because what was once before an annoyance became rather cute. It took Natsuki a while to realize that she was this way when working on a new motorcycle project. Engrossed in something so important to her, that moving her attention from it because of the buzzing of something in the background could make her lose her focus and ruin the project flow entirely.

The "office" phone rang in the other room. It was a landline that Shizuru used for important calls and/or the calls she didn't want to answer. Natsuki waited a beat to see if Shizuru would hurriedly emerge from her room to answer it, but there was no sound of extra movement coming from the other room. _She's trusting me to answer it._

Natsuki rushed to the phone, dizzy with the absurd happiness at being given a chance to earn more trust back. "Hello, Natsuki speaking." She answered slightly breathless.

"Ah, I'm sorry I believe I have the wrong number."

"If you're looking for Ms. Viola, I'm her new personal assistant."

There was a pause on the phone that made Natsuki's heart pound in her ears. Did she mess this up now that she had finally gotten a chance to prove herself further?

"New personal assistant?"

The tone on the other end of the line made Natsuki's hair on the back of her neck raise in agitation. "Yes, I've been hired to assist in Ms. Viola's affairs. How may I help you?" she ground out as politely as possible.

"If you can't recognize me over the phone, then you _must _be new."

"I _apologize_ for not being acquainted." Natsuki's blood began to simmer in her veins.

"Whatever. Tell her Tomoe called."

Then she hung up.

Natsuki took a deep breath before slamming the phone back on its cradle. There was a pad of paper and a pen on the same stand as the phone. She wrote, "Tomoe called." Just as Natsuki was about to leave the note in Shizuru's study, the petty side of her decided to wait until it was time to gather up Shizuru's plates. At least she was informing Shizuru at all. Grinning gleefully, Natsuki gave herself a mental pat on the back for handling the situation so well.

…

Natsuki left the note by Shizuru's hands as she gathered the now empty dishes on the tray. Shizuru gave attention to the note long enough to stop writing for the day. "Natsuki," she croaked, "you have permission to hang up on Tomoe whenever she calls." Looking over her shoulder, Natsuki warred with her feelings between being "given permission" and looking forward to Tomoe's next call. Amused, Shizuru left her place from her desk to help Natsuki with the dishes.

As they washed and dried together, Natsuki itched to ask who Tomoe was anyway. Why would this rude woman call, if Shizuru wanted nothing to do with her? "By the way," Shizuru's voice cut effortlessly through Natsuki's buzzing thoughts, "I have an in-home meeting with my agent this week."

Natsuki's ears perked up quickly. _Another chance?_

"What does that mean for me exactly?"

"I have some materials that need preparing. I'll work on them with you for now until you get used to it."

Shizuru chuckled at her puppy's eager face. Natsuki forgot all about her questions about Tomoe just as Shizuru had intended.

…

"Have a safe trip back!"

The two women shooed Shizuru's literary agent, a fussy red-headed woman by the name of Nao, on her merry way back to the city where fresh manuscripts were ready to be printed and published. Nao had picked up Shizuru after a rumor that had gone around claiming that there was a literary genius in the heart of Kyoto. Always looking for a golden goose, Nao raced herself down to the timeless place and found Shizuru. At the time, Shizuru had been between deciding whether or not to publish her work. She knew that it was great work, and that her collections would sell very well, but Shizuru didn't know if she wanted her work to be tainted by commercialism. If it weren't for Nao's pushing and excessively annoying pleading, Shizuru would have happily allow her works to collect dust.

Shizuru didn't write for anybody else aside from herself and one other person. After the first of her works were published, Shizuru felt a slight invasion of privacy she wasn't expecting. When she voiced this to Nao, her curt response was along the lines of "well, you can't take it back now." However, Nao wasn't completely heartless. She took Shizuru to an open mic reading night as a "good work" present. Grateful for the evening out, Shizuru enjoyed herself. It wasn't until the last bit of the open mic session that Shizuru understood Nao's reasoning to bring her here.

A young woman came up to the stand carrying a familiar maroon bound book, and read one of Shizuru's excerpts with such a passion that left her speechless. Hearing the written words coming from someone else's lips reminded Shizuru that this was the response she was looking for when she first started writing. Her work was meant to be shared, meant to be relatable, so that others going through the same thing knew that they weren't alone. As she had felt when Natsuki left. That was the reason why Shizuru kept writing, kept publishing and kept Nao.

It still didn't take away from the fact that the woman was very loud and demanding. Shizuru learned quite early on that she wouldn't miss a deadline out of the sheer fact that Nao would blow her top and _stay at her home until the manuscript was finished._ The tan headed woman had a lot more patience than her friends, but she was nowhere near a saint.

Natsuki didn't like Nao. As soon as Nao came to visit, she gave Natsuki a none-to-discreet sizing up before giving a toothy grin. "Found another one, did she? That was fast." Natsuki didn't know what that was supposed to mean, nevertheless she didn't like it. Natsuki followed Shizuru's pace during Nao's visit. _Get her in, then get her out, _Shizuru seemed to say. The blunette was all too happy to oblige. After Shizuru's literary agent turned the corner, they breathed a collective sigh of relief to watch the red-headed woman go.

Natsuki went to prepare an early lunch and brew a pot of tea as a reward for another deadline met. It didn't occur to Natsuki how much preparation went into being an upcoming world- renowned author, but she was very much glad to be a part of it. Although she would probably never say it, she was proud of Shizuru and her success.

Happily cutting onion for their _gy__ūdon, _the office phone rang. With Shizuru out for a quick walk to the butcher shop, Natsuki answered the phone. "Viola residence."

"If you hang up on me this time, I will _burn_ the place down."

Natsuki was hoping that over the course of the few weeks of hanging up on this rude woman, she would go away. _I guess not all pests can take a hint._ "Tomoe, is it?"

"You're damn right. Now put her on the phone."

"Shizuru isn't here at the moment. I can leave a message."

"The hell you will!"

The phone went dead on the other end of the line, but Natsuki felt uneasy. It felt as if this conversation was not yet over.

"I'm home." Shizuru sang, and hummed a pleasant tune as she removed her shoes. The tune stopped as Natsuki entered the front room, face as hard as chiseled stone.

"Who the hell is Tomoe?"

A/N: I hope that you all are having a great week! It's almost the weekend. We can do this! Readers please be aware: next week's chapter may contain details of self harm. If this triggers you, please DO NOT READ next weeks chapter should the warning still apply. Thank you again to all readers and commenters, I greatly appreciate you.


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